Motion Activated Golf Swing Trainer

ABSTRACT

An improved golf swing training device that includes a curved platform with right and left adjustable strike plates, each having adjustable swing plane guide rods connected by a rotating disk attached to the rear of each strike plate. The curved platform, duplicating the bottom path of the proper curved golf swing, is attached to a single straight track by means of multiple horizontal bearings. The curved platform moves fore and aft along the straight track. The bearings provide both retention and backstroke/reverse and follow-through/forward movement of the curved swing platform. The elongated and angled strike plates with the extended guide rods guide the club through backswing and follow-through. Adjustable resistance can be added to the curved platform to assist strength training.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to golf training devices, and more particularly to a motion-activated golf swing training device.

Description of the Problem Solved

Golf is a game that has been, and continues to be, a game played by many since its inception. The results achieved by participants reflect the talent and expertise of each, whether professional, collegiate, low handicap, weekend participant, or duffer. In truth all golfers remain “Students of the Game.” Many have used any number of what is referred to as “training aids” to assist individual progressive swing development. Golfers have spent a lot of time and money on clubs, balls, equipment, flight scopes, video equipment, even videos and watching TV coaching personalities. All of this effort in search of the “Perfect Golf Swing.”

The “perfect golf swing” is said to be one made in a circular motion around a center point. It is most efficient, repeatable, and both bio- and mechanically- functional and exact. Additionally, if performed correctly, it delivers near to perfect results and exhilarating satisfaction for the golfer. One can see it quite often when made by a professional, occasionally by a good golfer, and infrequently by an average golfer. Proper preparation improves the golf swing. That includes strength training, constant practice, and the correct technique. There are three elements of that swing technique that must work in harmony; they are the body torso, arms and hands, along with the golf club.

There have been prior art attempts in the past to improve the golf swing. Our prior art Pat. U.S. 9,433,846 was an earlier model to improve the swing. However, this prior art model used a sliding straight platform with short straight front and rear vertical strike plates. This arrangement presumes that the golf swing is straight. However, in reality, the proper golf swing follows a circular path. In addition, a vertical strike plate is not optimum. A better arrangement is angled strike plates with additional guide rods to guide the position of the club in both backswing and follow-through. Also, the prior art does not allow the attachment of elastic exercise bands to build strength with repeated use.

As stated, there are numerous golf swing training aids in the prior art and on the market that include Flight Scopes, Video playback equipment, body harnesses, and the like. The price for these items can be as high as ten thousand dollars. They tell a golfer what you should be done, and what they are doing wrong, but none actually guides the golfer and club to the arms/hands club action for the proper swing.

It would thus be extremely advantageous to have a golf swing improvement device that has a curved sliding track, rotating angled strike plates and swing guide rods to provide positive indication of where the club, hands, arms and body should be, and in what position, during the entire golf swing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved golf swing training device for golfers of any age, size and ability. It includes an arcuate (or otherwise curved) platform with right and left adjustable, rotatable, angled strike plates, each having adjustable swing plane guide rods connected by a rotating disk attached to the rear of each strike plate. The arcuate platform, duplicating the bottom path of the proper curved golf swing, is attached to a straight track by means of multiple horizontal bearings. The arcuate platform moves linearly left and right along the straight track. The bearings provide retention and provide backstroke/reverse as well as follow-through/forward movement of the arcuate platform. The elongated and angled strike plates with the extended guide rods guide the golfer and club through backswing and follow-through.

The present invention, when used for repeated efficient swing practice, can eliminate major swing flaws such as backswings that are too rapid or come too far inside or outside, changing the spine angle during backswing or downswing, casting or coming over the top, unhinging the wrists too early and throwing the club at the ball.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Attention is now directed to several drawings that illustrate features of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a downward-looking view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows and alternate view of part of this embodiment during a backswing.

FIG. 3 shows the functioning of the strike plate and guide rod.

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the arcuate platform riding on the straight track.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the bearings on the bottom of the arcuate platform.

FIG. 6 shows a detail of the strike plate and guide rods.

FIG. 7 shows a detail of a prior art resistance device.

Several figures and illustrations have been provided to aid in understanding the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to what is shown in the figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a golf swing training device that includes a sliding, arcuate (or otherwise curved) platform that tracks the bottom portion of a golf swing. It also includes guide rods to guide the club through backswing and follow-through downswing. An embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 . The device allows the golfer to stand centered with the mounted center guide post, which helps the golfer through his or her body center rotation. After setting both strike plates to the proper separation distance for the golfer’s swing and desired club (short separation for a putter and widest separation for a driver), the rear strike plate is set in line with the center pole position which is the ball position on the arcuate platform.

The golfer shifts weight right, and moving hands and arms, the club is guided to the wrist break position by the rear (right) strike plate and rear plane guide rod. The golfer then continues adding shoulder and torso to the backswing set position and prepares for the downswing. To prevent a slice or over-swing the golfer learns to drop the club movement beneath the rear plane guide rod. The golfer’s weight shift and torso swivel left bring the club to the contact/ball position. There, the club encounters the front strike plate (which is now at the ball position) and front plane guide rod waiting to assist him through the follow-through and final rotation.

The ideal golf swing has a back, center, and forward position, and the present invention is designed to guide the golfer and the club with its own back, center and forward positions and mechanisms. By adjustment of the motion tension wheel that adds resistance to increase strength centered in the curved platform, and the strike plates with guide rod positions, the invention is able to help golfers of varying size, age, and ability with any club in their bag. The device is designed to be used indoors or outdoors when mounted to a strength platform, golf mat or concrete. The invention actually guides the hands/club duo through the perfect swing movement. The perfect golf swing requires the coordination of body, shoulders, torso, arms and hands, as well as the club. The present invention trains the golfer to concentrate on the arms and hands element of the golf swing. By raising the device to bench or table height the golfer can adjust to using just the hands and arms without a club. This hand/arm movement over the platform to the strike plates and up or down the plane guide rods is exactly what the golf club does. This allows the golfer to build confidence and muscle memory of the combined motion of the arms/hands duo and club in unison.

Various embodiments are made of core ten aircraft type aluminum with stainless steel bearings and fastening screws. While these materials are preferred, others may be used. Any strong, rigid material may be used to for the track and platform and other parts of the device including other metals or polymers.

Although initially designed and engineered for the golf swing, the above hand training description is evidence that the present invention can be adjusted by height and positioning of the strike plates and swing plane guide rods for other sports as well. These include, but are not limited to, baseball, tennis and even hockey. Each of these swings is different, but the invention is able to adjust and create repeatable and efficient, both bio- and mechanically, exact swing positions and follow-through.

Turning to FIG. 1 , a particular embodiment of the present invention is seen. An arcuate platform 600 slides linearly on a straight track or rail 2. The left-right sliding motion is arrested at the ends of the rail by an end-block at each end 21 a, 21 b, and resistance is provided by an adjustable bias device (11) (shown in FIG. 2 ) The arcuate platform rolls linearly along the track on a set of bearings 8 (shown in FIG. 5 ). In this embodiment, three supports 3 anchor the entire assembly to a floor, floor base support platform, pad, table or elsewhere. The supports 3 are each equipped with hooks 10 (shown in FIG. 4 ) that allow for the attachment of optional elastic (bungee ™) cords that can be used to provide added resistance and strength building during the swing if desired. Along the length of the arcuate platform 600 are a pair of adjustable strike plates 5 that can rotate during the swing. Each strike plate has a lower 5 a portion and upper 5 b portion offset with an obtuse angle (looking from the center of the platform), so that the lower portion is vertical, and the upper portion slants away from the center of the arcuate platform. Each strike plate 5 can be loosened and moved along a slot 4 in the arcuate platform 600. This adjustment allows the strike plates 5 to be adjusted for different clubs and club types and for different golfers. The strike plates 5 are tightened down on the acurate platform 600 with knobbed clamping members. Each of the strike plates 5 can rotate around an axis perpendicular to the arcuate platform and is also equipped with an adjustable guide rod 6. The left guide rod 45, and the right guide rod 46 guide to the proper path of the club during the intermediate portions of both the downswing and the backswing, and can be adjusted to several fixed angles for different clubs and different golfers.

FIG. 1 also shows the left strike plate 43 and the right strike plate 44, as well as the left end 41 and right end 42 of the acurate platform. A left bumper 21 a, and a right bumper 21 b can be seen on left end 50 and the right end 51 of the straight track 2 respectively and the vertical angle of the guide rod to the horizontal 650.

FIG. 1 also shows the direction of the vertical 601 and the horizontal 605.

FIG. 2 shows a club in contact with the right strike plate 44 during a backswing. The right guide rod 46 can be clearly seen. As the club continues to move in the backswing, it moves the arcuate platform to the golfer’s right (assuming a right-handed golfer) and finally separates from the right strike plate 44 and begins to move up the right guide rod 46. The rod causes the club to be in the proper position for an optimum swing during the entire backswing.

The downswing is just the opposite; the arcuate platform is positioned to the golfer’s right with the left strike plate at the position where the ball would be. During the downswing, the club follows the right guide rod downward, and then encounters the left strike plate and pushes the acurate platform from right to left, finally separating from the left strike plate.

FIG. 2 shows the right end bumper 21 a on the right end 51 of the linear track 2. FIG. 2 also shows a slot 4 in the acurate platform that allows the position of the right strike plate 44 to be moved along the arcuate platform.

FIG. 3 shows the final portion of the forward swing after the club 7 has completely separated from the left strike plate 43 and is moving up the left guide rod 45 at the left end 41 of the acurate platform.

FIG. 4 is a close-up showing one of the bottom supports 3, one end of the arcuate platform 600 (it could be either end, since the arrangement is identical on both ends) and the adjustment slot 4. One of the strike plates can be seen; it has a vertical bottom portion 5 a and an angled top portion 5 b. In this embodiment, the strike plate has a metal back with a durable plastic front. In addition, in FIG. 4 , a small portion of the linear track 2 is visible. It is important to note, that during either the backswing or forward swing, the entire arcuate platform moves linearly along the linear track 2 (the entire arc moves left-to-right or right-to-left along the linear track) during the lower portion of both the backswing and downswing. FIG. 4 also shows one of the hooks 10 attached to one of the support members. These can be use to attach elastic cords for more club tension.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the arcuate platform, 40 is the bottom surface of the arcuate platform. Two rows of three bearings each 8 can be seen end-to-end aligned for contact with the linear track 2. The arcuate platform is held at the correct height by two end guides 13 to engage the linear track 2. It should be noted that the six bearings 8 lie in a straight line (not an arc) in order to mate and allow the arcuate platform to track linearly left-to-right and vise-versa along the linear track 2.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 utilizes six bearings that operate in the single open linear track 2 which provides the arcuate platform both forward and reverse movement, and also keeps the arcuate platform moving straight, preventing any wobble motion in the single track. While six bearings are shown, other numbers of bearings may be used, and are within the scope of the present invention, and while a single track is shown, multiple tracks may be used.

FIG. 5 also shows the resistance member 11 positioned in the center of the arcuate platform to aid strength training. A knob 9 advances a brake pad 12 that contacts the linear track 2 and provides adjustable resistance as the arcuate platform 1 moves.

FIG. 6 shows a detail of the back of the strike plate 43 or 44 and the attachment of the guide rod 45 or 46. The strike plate is adjustably attached to the arcuate platform 600 with a clamp member 16 that passes a threaded screw through the slot 4 in the arcuate platform. The threaded screw has a tightening knob 17. The guide rod 45 or 46 extends upward and outward (toward the golfer), aligned with the correct location for the club during the intermediate portion of the swing. The guide rod can be rotated up and down with a circular mounting disk 14 that is pinned 15 through several different angled holes in the strike plate 43 or 45. As stated, the location of the strike plate on the arcuate track and the angle of the guide rods are pre-adjusted to match a particular club and golfer. During the swings, the strike plates can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the acurate platform (which is the vertical) in order to stay in perfect contact with the club. FIG. 6 also shows the direction of the vertical 601 and the horizontal 605.

FIG. 7 shows a detail of an example prior art resistance device with a mounting plate 30, a case 31, a rubber resistance member 32 and an fore and aft resistance adjustment 33.

It should be noted, that while the curved swing platform of the present invention has been referred to as an arcuate platform, other curves besides arcs are within the scope of the present invention. Any portion of a smooth curve that mimics the club behavior during a golf swing (or other sport) is within the scope of the present invention. Also, as stated, any strong, rigid material may be used for the device, with aircraft aluminum being preferred.

Several descriptions and illustrations have been presented to aid in understanding the present invention. One with skill in the art will realize that numerous changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Each of these changes and variations is within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A golf swing training device comprising: a slidable elongated arcuate platform (600) having a top surface (1) and bottom surface (40) and a left end (41) and a right end (42): a plurality of bearings (8) attached to the bottom surface (40) of the arcuate platform, said bearings being in a linear arrangement on the arcuate platform; a linear track (2) cooperating with the bearings, wherein the arcuate platform slides along the linear track from left-to-right and from right-to-left; a left strike plate (43) and a right strike plate (44) adjustably attached to the arcuate platform, each of the left and right strike plates having a flat lower vertical portion (5a) and a flat upper angled portion (5b); a left guide rod (45) and a right guide rod (46) each of the left and right guide rods adjustably attached to the left and right strike plates respectively, said guide rods extending upwardly and outwardly away from the strike plates; at least one adjustable (9) resistance member (11) in adjustable frictional contact with the arcuate platform as the arcuate platform moves left-to-right and right-to-left; whereby, the arcuate platform, strike plates and guide rods provide club position guidance during both a golf backswing and a downswing with adjustable resistance.
 2. The golf swing training device of claim 1, further comprising a pair of bumpers (20a, 20b) attached to the linear track at the left end (50) and right end of the linear track (51) cooperating with the linear track to prevent the arcuate platform from leaving the linear track.
 3. The golf swing training device of claim 1, wherein each strike plate can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the arcuate platform.
 4. The golf swing training device of claim 1, wherein there are six bearings.
 5. The golf swing training device of claim 1, wherein each strike plate is configured to be independently adjusted to a plurality of positions along the arcuate platform.
 6. The golf swing training device of claim 1, wherein each of the guide rods is independently adjustable to a plurality of swing angles.
 7. The golf swing training device of claim 1, further comprising a at least one hook fixably attached to at least one of the supports (3).
 8. The golf swing training device of claim 1, wherein the arcuate platform and linear track are made of aircraft aluminum.
 9. A sports swing training device comprising: a slidable elongated arcuate platform having a top and bottom surface and left and right ends; a plurality of bearings attached to the bottom surface of the arcuate platform; a linear track configured to engage the bearings allowing the arcuate platform to slide bidirectionally left and right along the linear track; left and right strike plates adjustably attached to the arcuate platform; left and right guide rods adjustably attached to the left and right strike plates respectively, said guide rods extending vertically and outwardly away from the strike plates.
 10. The sports swing training device of claim 9, wherein each strike plate can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the arcuate platform.
 11. The sports swing training device of claim 9 further comprising at least one adjustable resistance member engaging the arcuate platform configured to provide resistance as the arcuate platform moves left-to-right and right-to-left.
 12. The sports training device of claim 9, wherein each of the strike plates has a flat lower vertical portion (5a) and a flat upper angled portion (5b).
 13. The sports swing training device of claim 9, wherein there are six bearings.
 14. The sports swing training device of claim 9, wherein each strike plate is configured to be independently adjusted to a plurality of positions along the arcuate platform.
 15. The sports swing training device of claim 9, wherein each of the guide rods is independently adjustable to a plurality of vertical angles (650) with respect to horizontal (605).
 16. A method of improving a golf swing comprising: providing a slidable elongated arcuate platform having a top and bottom surface and left and right ends; providing a plurality of bearings attached to the bottom surface of the arcuate platform, said bearings being in a linear arrangement on the arcuate platform; providing a linear track configured to engage the bearings allowing the arcuate platform to slide along the linear track linearly from left-to-right and from right-to-left; providing left and right strike plates adjustably attached to the arcuate platform, each of the strike plates having a flat lower vertical portion (5a) and a flat upper angled portion (5b); providing left and right guide rods adjustably attached to the left and right strike plates respectively, said guide rods extending upwardly and outwardly away from the strike plates.
 17. The sports swing training device of claim 16, wherein each strike plate can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the . the horizontal (605).
 18. The sports swing training device of claim 16 further comprising at least one adjustable resistance member engaging the arcuate platform configured to provide resistance as the arcuate platform moves left-to-right and right-to-left.
 19. The sports training device of claim 16, wherein each of the strike plates has a flat lower vertical portion (5a) and a flat upper angled portion (5b).
 20. The sports swing training device of claim 16, wherein each strike plate is configured to be independently adjusted to a plurality of positions along the arcuate platform. 